


caught red-handed

by lunatic_zephyr



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: AU where zolf never left and they're all a happy family, Gen, Light-Hearted, Random & Short, Rare Moment of Relaxation, gotta give these disaster kids some time to rest, lets be honest now, what do you mean it's not canon, zolf makes fun of hamid and he deserves it, zolfhamid if you squint i suppose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 03:47:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19715599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunatic_zephyr/pseuds/lunatic_zephyr
Summary: It's not often the party gets to rest, even less often that Zolf discovers something he can definitely use as blackmail.





	caught red-handed

**Author's Note:**

> y'all know why i had to post this :)
> 
> I don't care what happened in canon, Hamid would read these and be appalled not at the story but at how much he actually likes them (sorry bryn)

It’s not often they get a moment to rest, the party, but that makes Zolf all the more grateful for it. Grizzop is off practicing archery in the woods near the inn they’re staying at, Sasha is teaching Azu how to throw daggers somewhere, and Wilde is being Wilde in his makeshift office of a room. All are accounted for, except Hamid, which is unusual, because their resident halfling is about as subtle and out-of-sight as a fireworks show. 

It’s not hard to find him though: curled up in a high-backed cushioned chair in the main room by the fireplace. Zolf almost wouldn’t know it was Hamid if it weren’t for the slightly pointed ears poking over the top of the book. Still, he decides to do the Good Boss Thing and ask him what he’s up to.

“What's that you got there?” 

Hamid squeaks in alarm, nearly jumping out of the chair. The book in his hands (which have instinctively turned into claws) goes flying.

“You alright?” Zolf says, raising an eyebrow at the display. 

“Yes, I'm fine,” Hamid replies, his voice unusually high-pitched. He scurries towards the book, but Zolf is quicker now with his new sea legs, and beats him to it. At first, he's only trying to make up for startling Hamid, but the familiar, dark red cover of the book catches his eye.

“Zolf? Can I have that back?” Hamid asks nervously. 

“Is this what I think it is?” Zolf says, eyes scanning the cover and landing on an even more familiar name in golden script: Harrison Cambell. 

“Give it here!” Hamid makes a swipe for it, but Zolf is at least a good foot taller than him and easily holds it out of reach. Even on the tips of his toes, Hamid's hands scrabble uselessly. “Zolf, come on, please-”

“I thought you hated these,” Zolf says, looking down at Hamid's desperate expression. 

“I did-I do!” Hamid insists. Giving up, he stops jumping and instead falls back, looking panicked. 

“But you're reading one,” Zolf says. A quick check of the dog-eared pages makes him chuckle. “And about halfway through it, no less.” 

Hamid stamps his foot. “Don't look at me like that! They’re-they’re rubbish, but-”

“But?” Zolf makes no effort to conceal a sly grin.

“With a plot like that, what else am I supposed to do?” Hamid demands, throwing his hands up in the air.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” It’s the Vera and Roswin storyline, Zolf knows, it’s the same thing that got him into the books.

“No! I mean-” Hamid sighs, then gives up. “The style’s rubbish. Everything else is...it’s alright.”

Zolf checks Hamid’s progress into the book, a particular page number catching his eye. “Just alright? Even on page 137? In the stables? You marked that page.”

Hamid’s cheeks flush. “I-I didn’t realize when I marked it-”

Zolf laughs, and hands the book back to him. He has a feeling the embarrassment is enough for Hamid. “Let me know when you’re done,” he says, green eyes alight with mirth, “It’d be nice to finally have someone else to talk about these with.” 

**Author's Note:**

> comment/kudos please!


End file.
